


All the Time in the World

by emynn



Series: All Kinds of Time [5]
Category: Queer as Folk (US)
Genre: Happy Ending, M/M, Post-Series, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-12-23
Updated: 2014-12-23
Packaged: 2018-03-03 01:45:27
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,514
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2833604
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/emynn/pseuds/emynn
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>“I think we’ve both learned that time’s far more powerful than we could have ever expected. But we showed it that we’re the ones in control. We survived. We beat it. And now we have all the time in the world. Ours.”</p>
            </blockquote>





	All the Time in the World

“So, what do you think?”

Brian set down his shopping bags by the door. He’d only meant to pick up some linens so they could spend their first night together in their new home on fresh sheets, but had gotten sucked into the kitchen section of the store in search of a small gift for Justin. He didn’t know shit about cooking, but once he’d told the saleswoman that his partner enjoyed preparing home-cooked meals, he’d somehow found himself with what appeared to be the amateur chef’s starter kit in his cart. These bags were only the start of it; the rest would be arriving in a truck the next day. It may be slightly overkill -- Brian had no fucking clue what Justin would need with a stand mixer with literally dozens of attachments -- but he wasn’t going to cut any corners in ensuring Justin was as happy as possible in their new home. Even if that meant trying to figure out where the fuck they were going to keep their new massive slow cooker.

“Well, would you look at that?” Brian said. “I leave you alone for less than an hour and you completely cover our new apartment with fairy dust.”

“I don’t know who you think you’re kidding, Brian,” Justin said, coming up behind him to wrap his arms around his waist. “You left at noon and it’s nearly four now. I’ve had all afternoon to sprinkle that fairy dust.” He kissed Brian’s cheek. “So … what do you think?”

Brian took a long moment to study the wall before him. Generally speaking, this type of decor went entirely against his aesthetic. In his loft, he’d kept a few personal photographs discreetly tucked away in his bedroom and in his office area. But here, they were all out in the open, laying out their life together in visual form. Brian holding Gus the day he was born. Brian with his arm around Justin and biting his ear at that art exhibit at the GLC. Justin and Daphne. Justin and Emmett. Brian and Mikey.

Brian and Justin in front of the Brooklyn Bridge.

Brian and Justin doing shots at their favorite bar in Chelsea to celebrate Kinnetik breaking ground in New York.

Justin grinning like a damn idiot and dangling the key to their new apartment from his fingers, while Brian smirked, his hand tucked into the waistband of Justin’s jeans.

All interspersed with Justin’s own artwork -- some of their friends, but also some abstract pieces that seemed to draw out the colors of the photographs.

And, because Brian had simply once said that he viewed it as a sort of good luck charm, a playing card, the ten of hearts, matted on white and bordered by a simple black frame.

“You hate it. Too domestic?” Justin released Brian and moved closer to the photographs, pulling two off the wall and examining them closely. “I may have gotten a little carried away.”

Brian took one of the photographs from Justin’s hand. It was one of the two of them with Gus and a rather intoxicated-looking snowman, taken the day after Christmas just a few months ago. “We’ve taken a lot of photos together.”

“Well, we’re two very attractive men who’ve been together for a long time,” Justin said. “It’s only natural people would want to snap their cameras at us.”

Brian nodded, then nudged Justin with the photo. “You remember what I thought the night Gus was born?”

Justin laughed. “You mean you were able to think at all? I seem to recall you being stoned out of your mind.”

Brian pinched Justin’s ass cheek, chuckling at his surprised shriek. “I thought of him as a time clock. Here was this loud, wriggling _thing_ whose sole purpose seemed to be to remind me that I was old, and growing older by the minute.”

“Ah, yes,” Justin said. “You told me his first words were ‘tick, tick, tick.’”

“Sounds about right,” Brian said, and hung the photo back on the wall where it belonged. “It’s different now.”

“Yeah,” Justin said, returning the other photo -- a candid of Brian kissing Jennifer’s cheek -- to its rightful place on the wall. “Gus is a good kid.”

“He is,” Brian agreed. “But that’s not all.”

“Is that so?”

“Mmhmm.” Brian roped an arm around Justin’s waist and pulled him close. “Before, watching Gus grow was like watching the clock count down till the end. It’s the opposite now. What’s more, when I watch him grow up … see him getting bigger and stronger, developing his own personality, it’s not just him. It’s …” Brian’s voice trailed off. Despite everything that had happened, voicing his emotions was still a challenge. He’d been proud of this particular realization when it had struck him on Christmas as he watched Justin help Gus with his new watercolor set. Brian had vowed to himself immediately that he would share it with Justin when the moment was right, because he deserved to know how he felt and just how important he was. But now, Brian felt the words catch in his throat.

“It’s like us,” Justin said. “The day he was born was the day we met. In a way, he’s the physical embodiment of our relationship. Bigger, better, and stronger every day.”

“Every day might be a slight exaggeration,” Brian said, for once pleased that Justin was able to finish his sentences, and brushed his lips against his mouth.

Justin laughed. “True. Most days, then. And since I believe we’ve got _lots_ of days ahead of us, I think most is pretty damn good.” He paused. “Does this mean on Gus’ 21st birthday we get to have our own night of wild debauchery?”

“What, as opposed to every other night?” Brian said with a snort.

“I’m thinking Vegas,” Justin said. “High-end casinos, top shelf liquor, fucking on the balcony … Gus will be jealous.”

“Of his old man -- literally, at that point, I’ll be fucking fifty -- slapping his wrinkly, dangly balls up against your ass? I doubt it.”

“You’ll always be the hottest guy I know,” Justin said, stroking Brian’s jaw. “Even when you’re 85 and balding.”

“I’m never balding,” Brian said. This kiss was longer, more purposeful, and showed promise of progressing into something more. Fortunately, though, time was no longer their enemy, and Brian luxuriated in being able to savor a slow build instead of feeling the need to fuck Justin as often as possible during their brief visits.

“Oh, that reminds me,” Justin said, pulling away. “Your turntable arrived while you were out. I put Judy by -- okay, then.”

Brian was already by the turntable, where Justin had helpfully placed Judy’s album. With the utmost care, Brian took the vinyl out of its sleeve and placed it on the platter. After a moment, Judy’s full vibrato filled the apartment, and Brian breathed a sigh of relief. He hadn’t listened to it yet -- he hadn’t owned a turntable, and once those accounts had landed in his lap as quickly as a twink on Naughty Schoolboy Night at Babylon, it had seemed a waste to buy one until he was in New York. Even so, Brian hadn’t been able to entirely quell the suspicion that when he went to play this record, he’d end up waking up in a hospital bed, having only dreamed up his visit from Vic and the subsequent surreal, fantastic turn his life had taken while he was knocked out in a coma.

“You know, I never pegged you as the Judy type,” Justin said, joining Brian. “She’s not exactly your usual rebellious rock music.”

“What can I say,” Brian said. He took Justin in his arms and slowly began swaying to the music. “I guess I have a soft spot for the ole girl.”

Justin rested his chin on Brian’s shoulder. “I still think it’s crazy you were able to find a record she signed for a Brian Kinney. A _queer_ Brian Kinney. What are the odds?”

“It’s not an uncommon name,” Brian said. One day he’d tell Justin the truth. One day, when he was sure this wasn’t all going to go up in smoke if he so much as breathed the wrong way. But right now, there was too much to risk; if there was one thing he knew, it was that he wasn’t willing to sacrifice his life with Justin, especially now that he’d also achieved greater professional success than he’d ever dared to dream.

“Guess not,” Justin said. “Oh, hold on.”

Brian watched as Justin jogged into the bedroom, then returned with a small box. “Got you something to celebrate moving in together. Again.”

“Aww, Sunshine, you shouldn’t have.” Brian’s tone was sarcastic, but his words true. He was, for once, completely satisfied with his life; there was nothing more Justin could possibly give him.

“Well, since you’re paying for most of this obscenely large apartment, I think it’s fair,” Justin said, grinning. “Go on, open it.”

Brian raised his eyebrows. Inside the box was a Rolex, white gold with a black dial set with diamonds. “If I’d known you could afford these kinds of trinkets, we could have looked at even larger places.”

“I’ve been saving up since I moved here,” Justin said. “And then I got a couple of very generous commissions after my show. Read the inscription.”

Brian took the watch out of the case and flipped it over. _Our time,_ it read, with the date marked beneath it.

“I think we’ve both learned that time’s far more powerful than we could have ever expected,” Justin said, clasping it on Brian’s wrist. “But we showed it that we’re the ones in control. We survived. We beat it. And now we have all the time in the world. Ours.” He paused. “They warned me that engraving it kills the resale value, but … do you like it?”

Brian cradled Justin’s face with his hands and pulled him in for a deep, all-consuming kiss. No matter how long they were together, and Brian was not above hoping that would be an exceedingly long amount of time, he knew this would always be his strongest form of communication. With Justin’s care, he may grow better at voicing the words, but at the end of the day, Brian knew no better way to convey just how vital Justin was to his very being than through his touch.

And from the way Justin returned his kiss with equal fervor, held him even closer than should be physically possible as they melded their bodies together, Brian knew he understood exactly what he was saying.

But because this was their new life, a life Brian had nearly prematurely thrown away, and because Justin had always, _always_ brought out the best in him, even when he didn’t want to admit it, Brian knew he had to try.

“Yes,” he finally said, and pressed his lips to Justin’s forehead. “It’s perfect.”

~*~

“Well done, Vic,” Judy says, clinking her champagne flute with mine. “Even better than I expected.”

“I have to admit, I had my doubts,” I say. “Brian’s a stubborn son of a bitch.”

“He is,” Judy agrees. “Although I think now he’ll be able to redirect that stubbornness to ensuring he’s able to keep both his personal and professional lives just as successful as they are right now.” She smiles. “So, are you ready to hear about your reward?”

“I thought we decided wings were tacky,” I say.

“Oh, darling, they are,” Judy says. “No, this is something I think you’ll enjoy much more: visiting privileges.”

I blink. “Sorry?”

“It won’t be like when you went to see Brian,” Judy explains. “That was a special case. But you’ll be able to visit your loved ones in their sleep, have conversations with them. They’ll even remember it the next morning, although of course they’ll think it was just a remarkably vivid and pleasant dream. But it should still bring them great comfort, and be nice for you, too. What do you think?”

I’m too busy thinking of all the people I need to visit and what I need to say. Monty, of course, to tell him how much I still love him and miss him every day. Debbie, to tease her about her undoubtedly very active sex life and also reassure that I still love her, despite how we spent my last few weeks alive. Michael, to slap him for what he said about Justin after he left Brian for Ethan, and then to check up to make sure he’s still happy with Ben and his comic book store. Brian, to make sure he’s living up to his word. Justin, to _really_ make sure Brian is living up to his word.

“Vic?”

I smile. “That sounds great.”

“Good,” Judy says. “You’ll have a few forms to fill out, just promising you won’t abuse your privileges and go about haunting people or anything, but it’s pretty straightforward.”

I nod, but I’m already distracted again by the scene playing before us on the giant screen. Brian and Justin are dancing together in their new apartment. While their poses would be appropriate for a ballroom, there are no fancy moves like at prom. But just like on that day, they seem entirely entranced with each other, caught up in their own private world that nobody else can touch.

“It’s an appropriate song for them, I think,” Judy says, and then quietly sings along to her own recording. “Alone together, the blinding rain, the starless nights were not in vain. For we’re together, and what is there to fear together?”

I squeeze her hand. “I can’t wait to torture Brian with his taste in sappy songs that describe his relationship with the love of his life.”

“I’m going to pretend I didn’t hear that,” Judy says. “Remember what I just said about not being allowed to abuse your privileges?”

“I don’t know,” I say, my eyes still on Brian and Justin slowly moving around the floor. “Somehow, I don’t think he’d really mind.”

“Maybe not,” Judy agrees. “Thanks to you, they’ll have many, many more years filled with mostly happy days ahead of them.”

“I have to know: do they go to Vegas to celebrate their 21st anniversary?”

Judy leans close to me, a conspiratorial grin on her face. “They get arrested for screwing on a blackjack table.”

I let out a bark of laughter. “Good to know some things never change.”

On the screen before us, Brian has his hand cradled against Justin’s cheek. His ring glints in the sunlight streaming in through the windows as he kisses him with a level of tenderness that would stun anybody who ever knew him solely as the legend of Babylon. When their lips part, the intensity of their gaze startles me, even with all I had seen between them. It is equal parts fierce and gentle, lust and love.

And that’s when I know, even if Judy hadn’t already assured me, that what they feel for each other would never change.

Not for all the time in the world.

**Author's Note:**

> THANK YOU to everybody who's been reading along and leaving some wonderful love! This was my first work in a new fandom and I've been a little overwhelmed by the support. This story was my way of coping with all my post-series ~feelings, and I'm thrilled that others enjoyed it as well. I'm going to be traveling over the holidays and will have two fest fics up soonish, but in the meantime, if you have any Brian/Justin bunnies you want to throw at me, please do! I'm excited to continue playing in this world. My contact info is in my profile.
> 
> Thanks again, and happy holidays!


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